NEEDHAM – Even after it fell into a hole the program hasn’t faced in over three years, the Needham boys volleyball team continued to show off its “next-man-up” superpowers for another signature win Wednesday night.

Trailing 0-2 in the match, the No. 2 Rockets (8-1) received their typical boost from different corners of their roster to pull off a reverse sweep, 3-2 (25-27, 22-25, 25-17, 25-23, 15-4), over No. 3 Milford in a nonleague battle between serious Div. 1 title contenders.

Devin Dellamarggio once again orchestrated a dangerous attack with 36 assists, connecting with Luke Lorence (17 kills) and Brian Cloonan (14 kills) in big moments to play a major role. But between Sam Peljovich’s nine blocks off the bench, Jeremy Bullard-Smith’s seven kills and two blocks, and Avery Kalish’s three kills with six blocks, Needham’s depth delivered as high-impact of a performance across the board as it has.

Owen Ching also stood out from the back row with 26 digs against a litany of heavy hitters on the Scarlet Hawks (9-1).

“Go in, give the team energy (was the mindset), that’s what I was told and I think I did that,” said Peljovich, who didn’t play in the first set. “I got my blocks, but that was whatever – nine or 10 points. We got 65, 75 points over those (next) three sets. It was the team staying together. … You go next play and you keep playing hard.”

“(Peljovich) was a huge spark today,” added Needham head coach Dave Powell. “He just imposed his presence.”

Needham and Milford traded blows through much of the opening first two sets, which the Hawks edged out behind strong play at the net. Alex Guerra (19 kills) and Arthur Gomes (16 kills) each erupted in spurts, while middles Joey Newman (five kills, three blocks) and Ryan Franklin (five kills, one block) disrupted lanes for the Rockets’ top guys.

Owen Callahan (38 assists) set up most of it, and Milford was able to claw out of a 24-22 deficit in the first set for a 27-25 win before holding off a late Rockets charge in the second set for a 25-22 win.

Playing down 0-2 in the match was something new, but not something Needham thought about.

“I try not to think like that, and I don’t think the kids do either,” Powell said. “We’re just trying to focus on one moment and one play at a time. Chip away, Milford’s got a lot of firepower.”

That’s the way they played in response, finding different guys to lean on.

Lorence stepped up on the attack in the third set, leading a 25-17 win while the defense slowed down Milford’s red-hot offense. The fourth set finished with a closer score despite two separate 4-0 runs from Needham, but a pair of kills from Cloonan, Lorence and Bullard-Smith – as well as two blocks from Peljovich – secured a 25-23 win.

Cloonan erupted in the fifth as the wheels seemed to fall off for Milford, using four kills to seal a 15-4 set win and the match. Kalish and Peljovich each added multiple points as well in a 10-0 start to the frame.

“(The comeback) shows a lot about our character,” Powell said. “I thought we showed a lot of grit tonight. … We cleaned up our serve-receive toward the middle of the match and I thought that helped a lot.”

“It motivates us (to rally like this),” Peljovich added. “We know there’s more we need to work on, but it’s good to know that we can go to war with these guys. It speaks to our team’s culture that even though we’re near the top every year, we can still come back and fight like underdogs.”